


Pond Frog

by run_sure_footed



Series: Mod Froglets [6]
Category: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon)
Genre: (what else are friends for?), Froglets fighting, Jamack has an existential crisis, Violence, bruised Jamack, expected (but not occurring) abuse from authority figure, injured Froglet briefly stunned, mild threats between friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:47:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28922319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/run_sure_footed/pseuds/run_sure_footed
Summary: Young Jamack is offered another path.
Series: Mod Froglets [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2061339
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	Pond Frog

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is connected to an earlier fic, [Flight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28298370)

Jafet was out for a brief flight above the Pond—honestly, he was so busy as the Dragonfly Master that he rarely got much time to fly by himself—when he heard a commotion below. He cued his dragonfly to turn upside down, holding tight with his legs and the antennae.

Two Froglets were fighting, ringed in by a mob of other Froglets yelling, goading, and cheering them on. Their instructor was nowhere in sight.

Jafet sighed. It seemed it was up to him.

He drove his dragonfly into a steep dive, buzzing just over the Froglets’ heads before abruptly turning 90 degrees to hover just above them. Now that he was closer, he could tell that J was one of the combatants. He watched as J took advantage of the distraction and the other Froglets turning their attention to the adult to throw one last punch that laid his opponent out cold.

“Hey!” Jafet shouted, finally getting everyone’s attention. “What is going on here?” He looked directly at J.

J met Jafet’s eyes, and for a moment he still looked furious, still full of adrenaline, his vision narrowed only to the fight. He had to take a few breaths before he could answer. Most of the other Froglets had scattered at this point, not wanting any attention to fall on them, in case J was in trouble.

For a heartbeat, Jafet was honestly worried J might attack him, or at least not stand down. He tensed his legs in preparation to send the dragonfly skyward if he needed a quick escape.

J didn’t move, didn’t do anything, so Jafet waited until the wild look left J’s eyes. Most adults would have shouted at J for taking so long to respond, but Jafet knew he didn’t need to if he kept looking at J.

“It’s nothing, sir.”

Once Jafet was certain he was in control of the situation, he looked pointedly at the Froglet J had hit, who was only now sitting up and rubbing her head, eyes unfocused. He didn’t bother trying to stop the others from leaving. He was confident he could get the truth out of J and report any other Froglets who needed punishment.

J glared down at his opponent, tempted to kick her while she was down, but with Jafet’s eyes on him, he stepped away from her. He was a little sore from her kicking him in the side, but other than that he was mostly unscathed. “Sorry, sir,” he said, moving closer to the Pond Frog and putting his hand on the dragonfly’s side. “It wasn’t important,” he muttered. “I lost my temper.” That was a big admission, an admission of weakness, but J felt safe enough with Jafet to be honest. He’d been working with the Dragonfly Master for almost four years now.

“Mm-hmm.” Jafet leaned down, grabbed J by the collar, and plopped him on the dragonfly in front of him—for show, of course, so the other Froglet wouldn’t tell anyone that he was playing favourites. Not that he would apologize to J, either.

After a quick glance to make sure the other Froglet _was_ going to be ok—she was walking now, if a bit unsteadily—Jafet tapped the dragonfly’s sides and she took off. He flew J back to the dragonfly stable and let him climb down on his own.

J had the decency to look apologetic, though he wasn’t particularly feeling it. He wandered over to his favourite dragonfly, giving her a scratch around the antennae.

Jafet followed him slowly, giving him a little time before questioning him again. “That didn’t look like nothing,” he said pointedly, making it clear he wasn’t just going to go away.

“It was just a fight. I ha—I don’t like her.” She was a conniving Froglet who usually got others to fight her battles. She picked on H a lot, and it had been especially bad this week; several other Froglets were targetting H because of her subtle suggestions. J had decided to take her down directly and let her reap the consequences of her actions for once.

Jafet snorted. “Yeah, I guessed as much from the beating you gave her. Has she been…spreading rumours about you?” he guessed. He’d heard gossip from some of the other Pond Frogs that J was a little _too_ interested in the red-eyed Froglet.

“Not about _me_ ,” J admitted with a sigh. He was weighing his options, trying to decide if it was safe to confide in Jafet. He _liked_ Jafet, he did, but trusting other Frogs, especially adult Frogs, could get him in serious trouble. “About another Froglet.” That was, again, admitting that he was weak, that he cared about someone enough to fight for them. But he wasn’t willing to admit exactly _who_ he was protecting. He could gamble with his own safety with Jafet, but if he got H hurt because of it he’d never forgive himself.

Jafet nodded slowly, pleased that J had confided in him. “I thought it might be something like that.” He turned his head to hide his grin, patting the dragonfly’s mandibles and getting a friendly munch in return. “I’ve heard that dragonflies aren’t the _only_ thing with big red eyes you’re interested in,” he teased, curious to see how J would react.

J shot Jafet a look—part pleading, part concerned. From Jafet’s demeanour, it was obvious he wasn’t trying to upset him, or point out his weakness, but he knew exactly who J had been defending. “…Maybe,” he said, sitting against the dragonfly’s legs. He sounded miserable. H hadn’t been easy to be friends with lately, and J was getting himself in trouble for him almost daily. H was his most obvious weakness and he just couldn’t seem to keep it hidden.

“You know…” Jafet knew he had to phrase what he wanted to say very carefully. “You’re _very_ good with dragonflies. Better than some of my junior assistants, if I’m being honest with you.”

J tilted his head, thrown by the conversation switch. “Thank you, sir.”

Jafet sighed internally. He’d privately hoped that such a clever young Froglet would pick up on what he was getting at even from such a subtle hint. “Things are different for Pond Frogs, you know. Less…stifling.”

“Oh.” J looked down at his hands in his lap. “Huh.” He’d never considered that anyone would want to be a Pond Frog _intentionally_. They were second-class citizens, with a few exceptions, like Jafet. “You think I could be a Dragonfly Master?”

“Yes.”

Huh. The offer had completely thrown him. After a moment, J groaned, covering his eyes with his hands. He wasn’t a Pond Frog! He was a Mod Frog! Well… he wasn’t anything, yet. Froglets weren’t part of either society unless they’d flunked out already and were Pond Froglets. Could he just _stop_ living his life with that one goal in mind? This was what Froglets were _for_ , what they all strived for! Could he be something else entirely, something he’d never considered? What would happen to him? What would change? Could he still be friends with H and K? Pond Frogs really didn’t spend any time with Mod Frogs, the societies didn’t mix much except professionally. Could he give that up?

“It’s just…something to think about,” Jafet said softly. He could tell he’d overloaded the poor Froglet’s mind, which hadn’t been his intention. “Something to keep in the back of your mind.” He leaned back against the dragonfly, ‘accidentally’ bumping J on his way down. “Especially if…circumstances change.” He knew for a fact that a large faction of the Mod Frogs had no intention of H _ever_ becoming a fully fledged Mod Frog. He’d be lucky if he was allowed to live long enough to become a Pond Frog. Jafet thought J and H could actually find a way to be happy if that came to pass—though he wasn’t sure what H was good at, if anything. Well, J would be in a position to hire him as an assistant. It was _something_ , when most of the roads spread before these Froglets seemed to lead to _nothing_.

J nodded, trying to hide how conflicted that suggestion had left him. Jafet bumped against him almost affectionately and J forced himself not to lean against him. He hated that needy side of himself, the part that desperately wanted touch, comfort. He was determined to force it down and forget about it, but it wasn’t working so far. “Did you want to be—?” Oh, that was a rude question. J flinched, knowing he’d fully earned a slap. His head was still swimming with the question itself: Had Jafet _chosen_ to be a Pond Frog? Was this something that happened often? J had always assumed, like most Mod Frogs, that Pond Frog was something that happened to you when you weren’t good enough to be a Mod Frog.

The question startled a laugh out of Jafet, and it was a while before he could speak again. He knew almost any other Frog would have hit J for asking it, or at least punished him harshly. Jafet simply answered. “I didn’t set out to be,” he said with a wry grin. “Who does? But I did make a choice and I wouldn’t take it back—and that’s not just me consoling myself, either.” He shook his head. “I’d rather be here than…out there.” He waved a dismissive hand at the rest of the Pond.

He turned to look at J thoughtfully. “I was always a funny one, as a Froglet. Always getting strange ideas in my head. Asking the wrong kind of questions. Noticing things no one else did.”

J’s eyes widened as Jafet spoke. It was like he was describing J himself, the way he really was. “Did you change? Did you have to change?” He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer.

Jafet smiled to himself. He’d spent enough time with J to realize they shared more than a letter. “No. I _could_ have…or so I kept telling myself at the time. Now…I’m not so sure I could have, but I’m glad I didn’t have to.” He smirked, elbowing J playfully. “I just got better at hiding it when I was thinking something strange.” J had certainly learned by now not to say his strange thoughts aloud, but his control of his expression wasn’t perfect yet, at least for someone who knew him reasonably well. Jafet could usually tell when J was daydreaming.

J nodded, slowly. It was so much to think about. This could lead him to a totally different life. Would it be better? Would it be safer, kinder to him? Could he leave his plans, his future, his friends behind? Maybe _he_ could be convinced, but he knew K and H were set on being Mod Frogs. They weren’t weird, like him. Like Jafet. “Thank you,” he said softly, nudging Jafet gently with his arm, returning that affectionate gesture carefully.

“Now, these dragonflies aren’t going to feed themselves. I think we’ve sat around quite long enough, don’t you?” Jafet sprang to his feet, blinking hard a few times before getting himself under control again.

J stood, following Jafet obediently, but his thoughts were elsewhere for most of the day.

*

K tapped J’s leg under the table to get his attention, then signed, _“What’s wrong with you?”_ They were supposed to be studying their math textbooks, but their instructor wasn’t paying much attention except to glare at all the Froglets every time he turned a page in his magazine. She was certain she could get away with using sign language without being noticed. J had been acting strange all day—several days, really—but this was the first chance K had been able to talk to him without calling attention to them.

J frowned, hating that he was so easy for her to read. “ _Nothing.”_ He glanced over at H, who also wasn’t paying attention.

She tilted her head at him. _“It doesn’t have to be now, but you_ will _tell me.”_ Whether or not that was a threat depended entirely on him. Whatever it was, she could tell it was eating away at him. She hoped that letting it out would help, at least a little. She’d found that talking, in a very un-Mod Froggish way, usually helped J think. She couldn’t often offer anything helpful, but it seemed to her that just saying things out loud to himself was often enough for him to decide or move on, or whatever he had to do.

His expression tightened, his discomfit clear. “ _Later._ ”

It was after dinner when he finally found a moment alone with K. They snuck out onto the roof of the dormitories. He still wasn’t sure what he wanted to tell her, what she’d think of him for even considering this, but she was one of his best friends, and she would likely understand better than H.

He just came right out and said it. “Jafet told me I could be dragonfly master someday.”

“Oh, we’re calling him _Jafet_ now, are we?” K elbowed him hard in the side, grinning. “No shit. Last time I checked, he’s not blind.”

J punched her shoulder. If she wasn’t one of his closest friends, he would have called Jafet by his title. “I could _choose_ it, though. I could just…be a Pond Frog.”

“You _could_ ,” she replied, half agreement, half question. She wasn’t entirely sure he could do any such thing. Not if it was his choice, anyway. “Are you really thinking about this?”

He met her eyes, nodding. “But I’d miss you and H,” he said softly.

“We wouldn’t be _gone_ ,” she reminded him, without much conviction. “And…” She looked away.

“Mod Frogs don’t spend time with Pond Frogs.”

K shrugged. “Not that _we_ know of.” She snorted. “Well, not that _I_ know of,” she amended. “And maybe none of them were friends before.” She didn’t really believe what she was saying, but she also didn’t want to shut him down. She would miss him terribly, but…she wanted him to be happy. She was actually a little relieved this had happened. One of her biggest fears was that H would end up a Pond Frog and J would go on to become a Mod Frog and they’d both crash and burn without each other.

“I don’t think I can do it,” J said. Saying it aloud made him feel more sure about it. “I’ve come all this way. I won’t leave you and H. If… If I fail, then I have a place to go.”

She nodded. “Good. It doesn’t need to be anything more than that.”

He couldn’t resist squeezing her arm a little. “…Thanks.”

“Shut up,” she said fondly, smacking his hand away.

H’s head appeared over the top of the roof, his enormous red eyes glaring at both of them. “ _There_ you are! What are you two _doing_ up here, anyway?” He hopped up beside them. “…Not that I was looking for you,” he quickly added.

“Just getting away from everyone. Did you miss us?” J teased.

_“No!”_

J laughed. “Sure, we believe you.”

H crossed his arms over his chest. “Good. You should. I’m not a liar like you.” Fuck, he shouldn’t have admitted that. He was a _terrible_ liar, and it was a skill Mod Frogs were expected to have. Anyone else would have used his little slip against him, but these two… Well, they were alright. “Come back inside before someone misses us, dummies.”

J and K followed H down over the edge of the roof, through an open window and into the dormitory.

J felt more settled than he had in days. The conflicting lives he could imagine unfolding in front of him were in order. He would stay with his friends as long as he could.


End file.
